May 1st, 2010 
My Health 
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And my doctor does NOT give medication for it. My son is 10 1/2 months and does not sleep well at night. He will be up anywhere between 2-10 times per night. I am wondering, does anyone know of any natural remedies to help in the night with the reflux? I do feel this is why he can’t stay asleep for very long periods of time (he used to only wake up once when he slept in his car seat for the first few months – his doctor suggested it – and after we started laying him flat it has been bad). I took him to the chiropractor today so we will see if that makes any difference. Also, he tends to cough for a little while when he first goes to sleep and then it’s like he coughs everything out and is fine – it’s a phlegm cough. Does anyone know anything to help?
I have elevated the mattress…
He is breastfed. That is one of the things the doctor said was to just continue breastfeeding and if I give him a bottle to put rice cereal in it.
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Have you tried elevating the crib? Put something ie small piece of wood under the two legs of the crib where the baby lies his head…this way his head will be slightly higher than his legs when he is laying down. I don’t know if this will help but I have acid reflux and this is one of the first things that my doctor suggested.
If you’re interested in pursuing a medical route, you could always get a second opinion from another doctor and see if they’ll give him a prescription for it.
Is he breastfed or formula fed? If he’s breastfed, have you tried altering your diet? Here’s more info on reflux and breastfed babies: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html There’s some info there that applies to formula fed babies as well.
If he’s formula fed, have you tried switching formulas to something designed for reflux prone babies?
Phlegmy coughing is a common symptom of reflux. You might try sitting with him in a steamy bathroom for a little bit before he goes to bed. That could help loosen the phlegm. If you’re able to fix the reflux issues, you might notice a difference with the phlegm, too.
You might also try giving him a couple hours for his nighttime meal to settle before putting him to bed. Putting him to bed immediately after eating could make the problem worse and cause sleep disturbances.
Chiropractic care can be very helpful for reflux. I would continue with that for at least a few weeks to see if you notice a difference. It can take several adjustments for you to see the full effect.
ETA: Personally, I wouldn’t bother with thickening feeds with cereal. Based on recent studies, thickening feeds doesn’t actually heal the acid erosion in the esophagus or lower reflux index scores. It acts sort of as a temporary fix for a symptom of a bigger issue. It can reduce spitting up and boost weight gain, but silent reflux still persists, so in the end, it’s not really helping the reflux. Here’s an article about the studies: http://www.hini.org/HINI/pdfs/InTouchVol18_2.pdf
Honestly, medications can be a very good option if there’s significant esophageal damage. Has he ever had a 24 hour pH probe study done? That’s the best way to diagnose true reflux in a baby.